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Judy Murray opens up on money worries as she describes 'toughest time financially'
Reach Daily Express | July 4, 2025 8:39 PM CST

Being the mother of a three-time major champion undoubtedly comes with its perks, but things weren't always so rosy for Judy Murray. In fact, there were times when a future in tennis was in doubt altogether before her offspring went on to become the Sir Andy Murray we know today, currently taking some time off after retirement.

Judy, 65, shepharded both sons, Andy and Jamie, through the early stages of their tennis careers before handing the reins to more professional figures. And it was during the initial phases of their development that she felt the pinch in particular as a parent. However, Judy has revealed how her mother's mindset on money shaped her own financial philosophies. These days, Andy is valued at an estimated £110million, but the frugal approach of his own mother has rubbed off on him to some extent, too. "When I was young, [my mother] would go into an absolute tailspin if she had a bill with a final demand on it, or if she'd forgotten to pay something," Judy told iNews. "She was always panicking about money, and that rubbed off on me.

"And so I've never had a credit card. I hate owing people money, and I have to be really persuaded to invest in anything. I don't have any investments, stocks and shares, or anything like that."

Former tennis prospect Judy made the decision to leave Glasgow for Dunblane shortly before Andy was born. In turn, she left her job as a sales rep at a confectionary company before eventually making the move into coaching.

It was a brave choice to leave behind a more financially stable position in pursuit of a better upbringing for her boys. However, it wasn't until future two-time Wimbledon winner Andy reached his teens that the severity of the struggle became apparent.

"The toughest time financially was when we needed to send Andy to Barcelona for his training," she continued. "It was 2002, and he was about 15. He was one of the best in Europe at that point. He needed to leave the country because he needed a tougher training environment with a different variety of sparring partners.

"It was like going to an expensive boarding school that specialised in tennis. The problem was that we were going to need £30,000-35,000 a year. That was more than my entire salary."

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Murray, whose new book 'Game, Set & Murder' was released on Thursday, described that period as "incredibly financially stressful" but one the family managed to navigate. They managed to secure a £10,000 sponsorship for Andy, while an inheritance from Judy's great-uncle took care of the rest.

In another life, however, Murray might never have made that trip to Spain, and his career could have panned out far differently as a result. But the struggle was par for the course as far as Judy was concerned, explaining she had grown accustomed to coping without vast sums in her bank account.

"My pension was a big learning curve in my relationship with money," she added. "For most of my life, I didn't have money. Even as a top-level national coach in 1995, I earned £25,000.

"It was a very small salary job. I have been self-employed for most of my life and didn't start making pension contributions until much later. I didn't think about it."

Thankfully, her son's success on the court means she no longer needs to worry about making ends meet, at least not in the same manner as when Andy was growing up.


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